Combined basket and field stretcher



COMBINED BASKET AND FIELD STRETCHER Filed Aug. 6, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1CD a June 27, 1950 w. GLOVER COMBINED BASKET AND FIELD STRETCHER 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 6, 1947 Main/76R i J 4 I/fvme over the ground.

paratively flat member of suitable material, preferably of the rubbertype which can be easily washed and disinfected. 1* The head restgenerally denoted at [8 is simi lar in construction to the frameaforesaid and is hinged to the adjacent end bar I I- thereof as at 19 soas to swing from the flat outstretchedposition shown in Fig. 1 to theinwardly folded position shown in Fig. 8. The head rest may beadjustable to various inclinations when unfolded, and known means-may beresorted to: for retaining it when so'iadiiisted. r

The foot rest generally indicated at 2031s similar in shape and-sizetothe head rest'and is hinged to the adjacent end bar] I as at '21 andis 7 adapted for a correspondingswinging movement.

In place of the reti'culate surface of theih'ead rest,ithe 'foot.restf-may-simply'have a series of transverse bar's-'22. When unfolded toan outstretchedposition;'the head rest and the foot rest are'supported'by the respective handles M.

The side members, designated at 23, extend the full length of the frameproper-and correspond in width to thexend members Hand '20..- said sidemembers constitute wingsiwhich are hinged at24 to the side-bars 9 andhave awall portion 25' of wire cloth'materialinterrupted at intervalsalong the'lengthby transverse openings 26 "constituting hand grips'ZT.Each of these openings has arranged within it a. plurality; of spacedbars 28 for selective attachment of a belt 29., The hinges arearrangedito enable the wingstojbe swung. to an outstretched' position soas to be substantially co-planar'with the; base or frame. A continuoushinge, of the-piano type. is desirably employed for-,thewings; and theend members; however thisis not essential but has the advantage'ofenhancingthe strength andrigidity; of the structure;

The wings are disposed in outstretched manner in the use as a-fieldstretcher andymay' be inclined upwardly to eliminate the; possibility ofthe :patient rolling. To convert the stretcher into a basket, the wingsand end members 18 and'20 are raised at right angles or substantially atright angles to the base; and 1 there, secured by locking means locatedat thetopi of the corners. The locking means comprise -U-shaped devices30, eachof which 'is disposed angularly at a corner with its legs 3|inserted in holes in the top portions of the wings and the end members.The

side members have a groupof holes, as at 32, to

provide for-angular adjustment of the wings and end members. Othersecuring means could be substituted for the -detachable device 30 if sodesired. r

.In preparing a patient; he is covered by a blanket and strappedsecurelyin the basket, s illustrated in Fig. 7, bythebelts 29 extended betweenthe wings and looped around corresponding bars 28 thereof that affordthe most secure fastening for theindividual. The ends of each bzlg3areconnected bylacing them together as a I I The basket stretcher may beraised, lowered, pulled or carried, with the patient comfortably securedtherein. The longitudinal bars of the base function as runners fordraggingthe device The patients legs may be secured to the base by astrap 34, for which purpose a medial bar is furnished onthe frame of thebase and supplied with a loop-formingpiece 36 which upstands andprojects through an aperture 31 in the mattress so as to be accessiblefor threading the strap through the loop portion. When the splintdivider is employed the strap secures the patients legs at each sidethereof. The splint divider is a member adapted to be attached over thebar 35 to upstand from the mattress at the foot end. It comprises aframe 36' of tubular rod material having a wall portion 36" 0freticulate material. The frame is adapted to furnish a tubular post 31at its inner end, in which a thru bolt' 38 is inserted and passedthrough an apertured element 3 8 of the base. The bolt is secured by anut or like fastening device, as indicated at 39 in Fig.3; The outer endof the splint divider is supplied with a downwardly'extending prong 40which is lodged, in a socket 4| carried by the foot rest. The wallportion 36" is apertured toenable'the strap to be passed therethrough.It WlH be evident that this structure enablesthe splint divider to beattached and removed at will.

The invention produces a practical and serviceable device which combinesin its structure a field and a' basket stretcher so devised that it mayalso serve as an emergency cot.

While one embodiment of the stretcher has been disclosed, it will beunderstood that such changes and modifications maybe resorted to as comewithin the spiritand scope of the appended claims. g h

Having now particularly described and ascertained the natureof mysaidinvention, and in what manner the same isto beperformed, I declare thatwhat I claim 'is:-

1. In a stretcher, a base, a foot rest hinged thereto, a socket carriedby said foot rest, a splint divider having a prong for engagement in thesocket in the elevated position of the foot rest, a

hollow post carried by the inner end of the splint divider, and a boltinserted therein for attachment to the base. I h

2. In a stretcher, a base, a foot rest hinged to said base for swingingupwardly, a socket on said foot rest, said socket being disposed toextend upwardly in the upswung position of said foot rest, a splintdivider having an inner end and an outer end, means for detachablysecuring said inner end to said base, and a prong rigid with said outerend, said prong being bent downward- 1y to engage in said socket in theupswung position of said foot rest.

WILLIAM GLOVEB.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 136,280 TarbellFeb. 25, 1873 1,892,913 Timm Jan. 3, 1933 2,164,484 Wolfe July 4', 19392,400,426 Liptay May 14, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS.

Number Country Date 478,711 France Oct. 7,1915

106,227 I Great Britain May 'l, 1917

